The present invention relates to embodiments of finger jackets. In an effort to improve protection, grip, movement, flexibility and tactile response for the human hand, a number of prior art references disclose a myriad of practical and impractical designs and related devices. Two well known applications which disclose the use of gloves and the use of finger sleeves are the most common.
As an example, a number of devices purporting to improve grip and tactile response when catching a football have been tried. For the most part, gloves with a treated leather palm have mainly been employed to improve grip and tactile response. Though these gloves have done a fairly effective job in this regard, they, for the most part, have fallen short of their desired intention. Many existing gloves may provide some protection, finger motion and gripping characteristics, however, the sensitivity, range of motion and tactile response provided by such gloves are generally significantly inferior to those of the bare human hand. The finger stalls of these gloves do a great job of helping to provide the grip, however, the sensitivity and tactile response of prior art gloves are considerably lacking. The problem, however, arises due to the structure of the palmar surface area of prior art gloves. Though the intention is to provide added surface area with which a ball may have contact in use, the added surface area ends up being the very reason these gloves have proven themselves ineffective in providing both superior grip and tactile response. The palmar piece of prior art gloves tends to bunch up, forming ripples, or is stretched out over and across the surface area of the palm, however, not necessarily on, or in contact with the palm itself. This creates a situation in which the palmar piece does not always lay flat against the palm of the wearer's hand at all times, thus creating a significant loss of sensitivity and tactile response with respect to the palm of the wearer.
The following prior art is known to Applicant:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,940 to Held discloses a document handling aid having a resilient tubular body with first and second joined body sections. Both ends of the tubular body are open so that when mounted on a finger, the tip of the finger protrudes from the first body section adjacent thereto. The second body section grips the finger at about the first knuckle and has a plurality of generally parallel longitudinal cuts therethrough to permit enhanced radial expansion of the tubular body adjacent the first knuckle of the finger.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,851 Bulley discloses a tubular bandage comprising a length of tubular fabric knitted from a combination of substantially inelastic yarn and elastic yarn so as to have alternating circumferential rows of inelastic yarn and elastic yarn, and having a first end portion rolled outwardly from the free end and the other end portion rolled inwardly from the opposite free end to form two rolls each constituted by nearly half the bandage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,248 to Widdemer discloses an improved design for an anti-slip glove. The surface of the glove is adapted to provide an especially strong bond between the palm and/or fingers of the glove and a club, racket or other piece of sports equipment which the wearer is holding, pulling or pushing. The improved anti-slip glove utilizes a thermoplastic polyurethane film panel, incorporated into the glove's design at key pressure points, which is selected to exhibit a strong physical bond with the rubber, plastic, leather or other composite materials used to manufacture the hand grips that are a part of hand-held sporting equipment. The anti-slip panel may be attached separately to the palm and fingers of the glove or made an integral part of the glove. When made an integral part of the glove's design and manufacture, the improved anti-slip glove may also incorporate a non-slip backing material positioned between the wearer's hand and the rear surface of the thermoplastic polyurethane film panel, to provide a tight coupling between the surface of the wearer's hand and the body of the glove to reduce slippage of the hand within the glove.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,272 to Fisher discloses finger sleeves of varying length that extend beyond a user's finger in order to facilitate one-handed basketball dunks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,442 to Kang discloses an athletic glove and, more particularly, an improved anti-slip glove, especially for use in conjunction with various athletic activities, having a palm surface printed with a pattern of silicone sealant and exhibiting a durable and consistent gripping ability over a variety of moisture conditions. Finger sleeves have also been used in the prior art to enhance grip and tactile response. Finger cots, rubber finger tips, finger sleeves and the like have all been called upon to do so. Prior art teachings have done a fairly good job of helping the finger in each of their intended use scenarios. Recently, finger sleeves have come into widespread use in sports such as basketball and volleyball. Athletic finger sleeves used in these sports are generally made of sponge foam or sponge rubber padding, certain polymers, knit yarn or other materials. Finger sleeves used in athletics in the past, however, have mainly been used as protection for the fingers of the athlete against injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,549 to Mcdevitt et al. discloses a finger glove that can be used as a substitute for cotton balls, swabs, and/or gauzes, or as an oral cleaning device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,839,905 to Bruder et al. discloses a protective skin device that may be used to protect the fingers, thumb, and a portion of the hand of the wearer. The device is configured to be worn about a digit, and the device provides cushioning and aids in gripping. The device includes a sheath with one or more projections, and the sheath may be perforated. The device may include an opening that exposes a joint. The device also may include a palmar pad, which covers a portion of the hand and may include multiple sheaths connected with a membrane, and multiple devices may be worn on the same or separate digits.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,530,120 to Morrow et al. discloses a protective sports glove consisting of a padded outer glove and an inner form-fitting glove. The padded outer glove is similar to conventional protective gloves used in contact sports, but having a substantial portion of the palm removed (i.e., except for the finger palm portions). The smaller form-fitting glove is introduced to the wearer's hand prior to insertion within the padded outer glove and covers the cutout palm portion of the padded outer glove. In essence, the form-fitting glove acts as the palm portion for the padded outer glove.
In football, the use of finger jackets would be a major benefit for the athlete. Not having a palmar piece leads to an improved sense of touch. In the split second it takes for the hand to feel the ball in its palm and close around it, the sense of touch required is paramount. Covering the palm with material, though the material is intended to provide added grip, takes away from the natural feel of the palm of the hand against the ball, thus tactile response is reduced. A greater number of football players prefer the natural feel of the ball in the palms of their hands. By providing finger jackets, which only cover the fingers of these athletes, with their enhanced gripping capabilities and not covering the palm, an enhanced sense of touch is achieved and a tighter grip possible.
While a particular embodiment has been chosen to illustrate the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.